Composer Francesco De Masi, who scored well over 200 motion pictures during his career in the film industry, was born in Rome on January 11, 1930. De Masi's father was active in politics and served as Italy's ambassador to Romania, but De Masi showed a talent for music in his youth, and as a teenager he studied composition at San Pietro a Maiella in Naples under Achille Lango, who was also his uncle. When Lango was contracted to write music for a motion picture, he hired De Masi to serve as his assistant while working on the project, and the young man became fascinated with the process of making music for the movies. After completing his studies, De Masi moved to Rome to pursue a career in the cinema, and in 1951 he wrote his first film score for a documentary entitled Fiat Panis. De Masi wrote and arranged music primarily for documentaries during his early career, but in the '60s and '70s he became known for scoring Westerns during the height of the "spaghetti Western" boom, including such cult favorites as Il Pistolero di Arizona (aka Arizona Colt), Ammazzali Tutti e Toma Solo (aka Kill Them All and Come Back Alone), and C'e Sartana...Vendi la Pistola e Comprati la Bara (aka Sartana's Coming, Get Your Coffins Ready). However, De Masi's repertoire represented an eclectic variety of horror films (Orgia de los Muertos, aka Terror of the Living Dead), wartime dramas (Quel Maledetto Treno Blindato, aka The Inglorious Bastards), crime thrillers (I Familiari delle Vittime Non Saranno Avvertiti, aka Crime Boss), "sword and sandal" epics (Ercole l'Invincibile, aka Hercules the Invincible), and all other sorts of pictures, and though the bulk of his music appeared in Italian or Spanish productions, he wrote the score for the popular Chuck Norris vehicle Lone Wolf McQuade and worked with Basil Poledouris on music for the Judd Nelson comedy Making the Grade. When not busy with his career in film scoring, De Masi led and conducted several major symphony orchestras in Italy, and was a gifted horn player; his discography includes recordings of major works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. De Masi died in a hospital in Rome on November 6, 2005, after a battle with cancer.

miercuri, 28 aprilie 2010

Julie Bertucelli's film, The Tree, with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas and Aden Young, will be presented at the Closing Ceremony of the 63rd Festival de Cannes.

Cannes Classics

- LA BATAILLE DU RAIL (The Battle of the Rails) (France, 1946, 82’) by René Clément, awarded the Jury Prize in 1946, restored by INA and Full Images, will be screened in the presence of Mrs. Johanna Clément.

- BOUDU SAUVE DES EAUX (Boudu Saved from Drowning) by Jean Renoir (France, 85’, 1932), a restoration presented by Pathé in a never-before-seen version that includes scenes that were cut in the original. A Pathé restoration in association with the laboratries L’immagine Ritrovata (Bologne) and Digimage (Paris).

- TRISTANA (Spain/France/Italy, 99’ 1970) by Luis Buñuel, selected in Cannes in 1970, will be shown as part of a celebration of Spanish cinema at the initiative of French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand, who has invited his Spanish counterpart and several contemporary Spanish artists. Copy preserved by the Filmoteca Espagnole. The film will be presented by Pedro Almodovar.

- DIE BLECHTROMEL (The Tin Drum) (Germany, 164’) by Volker Schlöndorff, winner of the Palme d’Or in 1979, re-edited and presented by the director in a ‘Director’s cut’, remastered by Kinowelt.

- KHANDAHAR (The Ruins) (India, 102’) directed in 1983 by Mrinal Sen, one of Indian cinema’s greats, who will be attending the screening. Restoration by Reliance MediaWorks with the support of the Indian State and the National Film Archive of India.

- LA CAMPAGNE DE CICERON (France, 111’, 1989) by Jacques Davila who passed away in 1991, in the presence of the film crew, who have come back for the occasion. Restoration presented by the Cinematheque of Toulouse with the support of the Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema. The film will be re-released on DVD by Carlotta.

- LA 317e SECTION (France, 94’), which won Best Screenplay in 1965; copy restored by the Cinematheque Française and StudioCanal with the support of the Franco-American Cultural Fund, in the presence of its director Pierre Schoendoerffer and the President of the Cinémathèque Costa-Gavras.

- LE GRAND AMOUR (The Great Love) (France, 87’), in competition in Cannes in 1969, directed and presented by Pierre Etaix. Film Restored by Studio 37, the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema and the Fondation Groupama Gan for Cinema.

- AFRICAN QUEEN (United States / United Kingdom, 105’, 1951) by John Huston. Print restored by Paramount Pictures and ITV, and sponsored by Angelica Huston.

- PSYCHO (United States, 109’, 1960) by Alfred Hitchcock. Print restored by Universal Pictures and Audionamix. Please note that the film’s soundtrack has been restored/reconstructed.- KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (United States / Brazil, 120’) by Hector Babenco, (Best actor – Cannes – 1985). Print restored by Ascent Media and Prime Focus, in the presence of the film crew for its 25th anniversary. The film will soon be re-released in France (Carlotta Films).

Finally, the World Cinema Foundation, established in Cannes by Martin Scorsese in 2007, presents: MEST (The Red Flute) by Ermek Shinarbaev, (Kazakhstan, 96’, 1989), KÉT LÁNY AZ UTCÁN (Two Girls in the Street) by André de Toth (Hungary, 85’, 1939,) and TITASH EKTI NADIR NAAM (A River Called Titas) by Ritwik Ghatak (India, 158’, 1973,). The prints come from the national film archives of Kazakhstan, Hungary and India. They were restored by the Cinematheque of Bologne / L’Immagine Ritrovata.

The Cinematheque of Bologna will also be presenting two short films: IL RUSCELLO DI RIPASOTTILE (Italy, 1941, 12’) by Roberto Rossellini, and THE ELOQUENT PEASANT by Chadi Abdel Salam (Egypt, 1970, 20’).

Documentaries

- HOLLYWOOD DON’T SURF (United States, 2010, 85’) by Greg MacGillivray, explores the theme of surfing in American films, with contributions from, among others, John Milius and Steven Spielberg.

- CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE AND WORK OF JACK CARDIFF (United Kingdom, 2010, 90’) by Craig McCall, a documentary on the life and work of one of the greatest British cinematographers who has worked for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Fleischer, John Huston.

- MEN FILMEN ÄR MIN ÄLSKARINNA (...but Film is My Mistress) (Sweden, 2010, 66’) by Stig Bjorkman, is the second in a series of unseen footage of – and by - Bergman, a document produced by the Ingmar Bergman Foundation.

- TOSCAN by Isabelle Partiot-Pieri (France, 2010, 90’) is a sort of ‘posthumous self-portrait’ of Daniel Toscan du Plantier, a French producer who passed away in 2003.

- LA BATAILLE DU RAIL (The Battle of the Rails) (France, 1946, 82’) by René Clément, awarded the Jury Prize in 1946, restored by INA and Full Images, will be screened in the presence of Mrs. Johanna Clément.

- BOUDU SAUVE DES EAUX (Boudu Saved from Drowning) by Jean Renoir (France, 85’, 1932), a restoration presented by Pathé in a never-before-seen version that includes scenes that were cut in the original. A Pathé restoration in association with the laboratries L’immagine Ritrovata (Bologne) and Digimage (Paris).

- TRISTANA (Spain/France/Italy, 99’ 1970) by Luis Buñuel, selected in Cannes in 1970, will be shown as part of a celebration of Spanish cinema at the initiative of French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand, who has invited his Spanish counterpart and several contemporary Spanish artists. Copy preserved by the Filmoteca Espagnole. The film will be presented by Pedro Almodovar.

- DIE BLECHTROMEL (The Tin Drum) (Germany, 164’) by Volker Schlöndorff, winner of the Palme d’Or in 1979, re-edited and presented by the director in a ‘Director’s cut’, remastered by Kinowelt.

- KHANDAHAR (The Ruins) (India, 102’) directed in 1983 by Mrinal Sen, one of Indian cinema’s greats, who will be attending the screening. Restoration by Reliance MediaWorks with the support of the Indian State and the National Film Archive of India.

- LA CAMPAGNE DE CICERON (France, 111’, 1989) by Jacques Davila who passed away in 1991, in the presence of the film crew, who have come back for the occasion. Restoration presented by the Cinematheque of Toulouse with the support of the Groupama Gan Foundation for Cinema. The film will be re-released on DVD by Carlotta.

- LA 317e SECTION (France, 94’), which won Best Screenplay in 1965; copy restored by the Cinematheque Française and StudioCanal with the support of the Franco-American Cultural Fund, in the presence of its director Pierre Schoendoerffer and the President of the Cinémathèque Costa-Gavras.

- LE GRAND AMOUR (The Great Love) (France, 87’), in competition in Cannes in 1969, directed and presented by Pierre Etaix. Film Restored by Studio 37, the Technicolor Foundation for Cinema and the Fondation Groupama Gan for Cinema.

- AFRICAN QUEEN (United States / United Kingdom, 105’, 1951) by John Huston. Print restored by Paramount Pictures and ITV, and sponsored by Angelica Huston.

- KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (United States / Brazil, 120’) by Hector Babenco, (Best actor – Cannes – 1985). Print restored by Ascent Media and Prime Focus, in the presence of the film crew for its 25th anniversary. The film will soon be re-released in France (Carlotta Films).

Finally, the World Cinema Foundation, established in Cannes by Martin Scorsese in 2007, presents: MEST (The Red Flute) by Ermek Shinarbaev, (Kazakhstan, 96’, 1989), KÉT LÁNY AZ UTCÁN (Two Girls in the Street) by André de Toth (Hungary, 85’, 1939,) and TITASH EKTI NADIR NAAM (A River Called Titas) by Ritwik Ghatak (India, 158’, 1973,). The prints come from the national film archives of Kazakhstan, Hungary and India. They were restored by the Cinematheque of Bologne / L’Immagine Ritrovata.

The Cinematheque of Bologna will also be presenting two short films: IL RUSCELLO DI RIPASOTTILE (Italy, 1941, 12’) by Roberto Rossellini, and THE ELOQUENT PEASANT by Chadi Abdel Salam (Egypt, 1970, 20’).

Documentare

- HOLLYWOOD DON’T SURF (United States, 2010, 85’) by Greg MacGillivray, explores the theme of surfing in American films, with contributions from, among others, John Milius and Steven Spielberg.

- CAMERAMAN: THE LIFE AND WORK OF JACK CARDIFF (United Kingdom, 2010, 90’) by Craig McCall, a documentary on the life and work of one of the greatest British cinematographers who has worked for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Fleischer, John Huston.

- MEN FILMEN ÄR MIN ÄLSKARINNA (...but Film is My Mistress) (Sweden, 2010, 66’) by Stig Bjorkman, is the second in a series of unseen footage of – and by - Bergman, a document produced by the Ingmar Bergman Foundation.

"Relief" is the word for it. It's a relief to see Robert De Niro giving an honest, effective starring performance in a project that does not stink and that, in fact, rises to a respectable level of filmmaking proficiency. How long has it been ?